A review on recent advances in transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding for thermoelectric power module

In this study, the authors have reviewed recent advances on the transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding technology for various applications especially power module packaging in view of the recent increasing demand for the production of vehicles, smartphones, semiconductor devices etc. TLP bonding is one of the potential technologies from clean technology that can replace the Pb-base solder technology without causing any serious environmental issues. It is based on the concept of both brazing as well as diffusion bonding. During TLP bonding, the liquid phase is transiently formed at the bonding interface. At this point, the melting point of filler metal increases due to the diffusion of element which degrades the melting point from liquid phase to base metal. Subsequently, the bonding occurs by isothermal solidification at the bonding temperature of liquid phase. Here, after bonding, the melting temperature of the joint layer becomes higher than bonding temperature. This review introduces the various aspects of TLP bonding including its principle, materials, applications, advantages and properties in detail.